Blood and Whisky (Abandoned)
by joshua.hiersekorn
Summary: Waking up in a Cerberus facility with a penchant for drinking human blood is a bit of a pain. Could I actually be a vampire or is this all Cerberus's fault. Hopefully I can find out with the help of a certain Japanese thief, all while helping Shepard save the galaxy.
1. Chapter One: Bloody Awakening

_Chapter One: Bloody Awakening_

Something was very wrong. The alarm bells confirmed as such. I could smell zinc, or perhaps iron in the air and there was a lot of it. Something about the smell made my throat tighten.

'Why am I restrained?'

I asked the silent question to myself after looking at my hands and feet. They were held down by metal cuffs. I was pretty much stuck on the table. No, I was stuck on the table.

'What's going on!?'

The next few minutes went by in a blur of panic, adrenaline and a lot of other emotions. It was so intense that I hadn't been sure that it had really been minutes and not hours. Eventually, though, I started to calm down. Finally came the not so comforting realization that I had been kidnapped. All I could really do was try to figure out what had happened, and then try and get out of here.

I couldn't remember the last place I had been. Hell, I couldn't remember what the last thing was that I should be trying to remember. I didn't know a lot about short-term memory loss, but from what I thought, it was supposed to leave more clues behind. Instead, as far as I could tell, it was like someone had done a full memory wipe going as far back as...

'Well I remember my family, my job, and my... my...'

The thought that had started to come to mind vanished just as quickly. It really pissed me off. I tried to keep myself from having another episode. It was just too much for my brain to handle. I yelled obscenities and other foul language. When no one came, I screamed and pulled against my restraints as hard as I could.

The sound of tearing metal knocked me to my senses. Maybe that isn't quite the right way to put that. I'm not quite certain that the realization that I had just torn my way through steel could count as 'coming to my senses.' All it really did was help me stop crying and screaming.

'That was too easy...'

I looked at the restraints on my feet. They couldn't be any different from the ones that had been holding me down by my wrists. I couldn't help my curiosity. So, I grabbed the metal and pulled. The one on the left snapped off and the one on the right followed immediately after.

I placed my feet on the ground and did the best thing that I could think of at the time. I followed my nose. Something about that smell and the way it made my throat constrict was oddly and paradoxically enticing.

I didn't know what I was expecting. I do know however what I was not expecting. The first of which, was a massacre that had killed well over a dozen armed and armored soldiers. This was like a bad movie, where the hero wakes up in a place where given the evidence, they should be dead too. Thoughts of the walking dead came to mind.

I took a look at my hands. I had been sixteen when I had seen that first episode, and my hands now looked like someone in their mid-twenties. Considering that I got my job when I was around twenty-three, I couldn't have lost more than five years of memories in a worst case situation.

'Wait. My reaction to this slaughter was to look at my hands and realize how old I am? Why am I not freaking out? Why am I not dry heaving? Why does...'

That smell was blood. I realized it later than I should. It was not the first time that I had smelled blood. It wouldn't be the last. It was, however, the first time that I had been in the presence of blood without feeling faint, and without wanting to vomit from the repugnant smell. No. This time, I felt a strange arousal. The smell actually smelled kind of good.

'I wonder if?'

I reached down and wiped my finger through the nearby pool of crimson. Every hair stood on end. I licked it. I liked it.

'I must be insane.'

The worst part was that I didn't care if I was insane or not. At that moment I didn't care about my most recent kidnapping. I didn't care about anything. Except for the crimson heroin that these poor dead soldiers had left just lying around on the floor for someone to lick up. That someone being me.

I had finally licked the last drop of blood up off of the floor.

It wasn't enough. I moved to the bodies and put my lips to their wounds and began to suckle them until every last drop was mine. I finished off the last of the dozen corpses.

It wasn't enough. I wanted more. At the time, I would even go so far as to say that I needed more.

Thum-Thump

My ears perked at the sound. I hadn't been paying attention to it at the time and I missed it. I had only picked it up on instinct. It was the most beautiful sound that I had ever heard and I already missed it even though it had only been a second or two.

There it was again, that beautiful sound. I couldn't let it get away from me again. I needed that sound to be mine. I'd make it my own personal song.

The world blurred past me as my feet carried me faster than I had ever run before until...

"Huh?" A soldier looked at me for a moment. His eyes went wide.

Thum-Thump

"I don't understand," I said. I couldn't find the sound. Instead, there was just a soldier. He didn't have a helmet on. He looked young.

"Stay back," the soldier ordered. He raised his gun and pointed it at me.

Thum-Thump

"I don't understand. Where is that sound!" I screamed.

Thum-Thump Thum-Thump

The soldier took a step back. His gun shook and for a moment I thought he was going to shoot me. Then he did. My vision narrowed into a red tunnel and my eyes tingled with electricity.

Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump

He fired his rifle again. It was really starting to piss me off. I tried to take it away from him, but he stepped back.

'Why is he...?'

He flicked his rifle into full auto and fired his entire mag off. It clicked. Dry. He raised the gun to throw it.

"Stop!" I yelled at him, finally pissed off.

Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump

He didn't move. Not a single muscle, save for the ones that moved his eyes as they darted back and forth before settling on me with a strange look.

Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump Thum-Thump

I screamed and pulled two handfuls of hair from my scalp. "Where is the sound!?"

I stared at the soldier but he didn't answer. He only stood there and looked at me with that strange look again. I couldn't understand what it was, not at first. But it slowly dawned on me. He was afraid of me and that noise was his heartbeat.

Author's Notes: _That's a wrap for this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope to see you again at the next update._


	2. Chapter Two: Whiskey and Soap

_Chapter Two: Whiskey and Soap_

My story continued five weeks later when I placed my fifth empty glass of whiskey on the bar-top. "Another and make it a double," I stared at the empty glasses with bitter contempt. It tasted like shit. But I wasn't drinking it for the taste. I had considered calling it quits for the day, but I had a lot more to think about and the alcohol helped me think. I had been plagued by cravings every moment of every day since I woke up five weeks ago. The moment I realized that alcohol could help keep my cravings in check, was the moment that I decided to become an alcoholic. Huh. I bet that no one ever wanted to be an alcoholic when they were growing up. The double didn't last long. I set the empty glass down and ordered another. It took the bartender a moment to realize that I was actually asking for a triple.

"Last one buddy," he sounded like he thought that he was looking out for me. Jokes on him, apparently I couldn't die no matter how shitfaced I got. Not that I would ever like to test the extent of that statement.

I looked him dead in the eye. As much as I hated using the new trick that I picked up, I wouldn't let the fool take away the one thing that could help me stay in control. "You are not cutting me off. You will give me as many drinks as I want."

It took a moment. My compulsion, I had learned was not absolute. Biotics barriers completely nullified whatever it was that allowed me to compel, and a strong-willed individual could sometimes snap out of it for a moment or two. For a moment, I worried that the bartender was secretly a biotic, but I breathed easy when he nodded with a smile. "Sure thing buddy. Let me know when you want more." He paused and looked at the line of empty glasses, "Trying to drown your sorrows away?"

I nodded, "something like that." As much as the alcohol helped me control my urges, I was also using it to try and forget. Things had been rough, but that first day was absolutely the worst day of my life. It was the first time that I had killed someone, and it was the only time that I had ever killed someone by draining them of every last drop of blood. It took a long while for me to snap out of the blood induced mania, and when I realized what I had done... I tried to justify my actions at first. The soldier had fired at me without provocation. I couldn't blame him though. His whole squad had been murdered, even before I woke up and even if he wasn't justified, I didn't have to kill him. It was difficult to accept that I could do something like that. The worst part was that I couldn't prove that I wouldn't have done so before all this madness.

Apparently, God thinks its funny to have me wake up tied to a table in the middle of nowhere, with all the insane abilities of Dracula. Although, I had always been a good Christian. I couldn't think of anything that I had done that could have pissed God off this much. Who knows. Maybe I wasn't as good of a Christian as I thought. I never did ascribe to the idea that someone is saved by their works. Maybe this was all the work of the Devil. Maybe I died, and everything that had happened in the last five weeks was my hell.

I laughed out loud but quickly covered my mouth. Someone had a very bad sense of humor. My hell had a literal Cerberus that wanted to sink its greedy claws into me.

I spent the last two weeks on the citadel. I did everything I could to learn about the technology, the cultures, the laws of this brave new world of mine. I already knew a lot of information from what I could remember of the games. I had the social awareness and cultural know-how to get along with Asari and Turians. I hadn't put in much time trying to understand the Salarians culture though. The average Salarian was more than capable of realizing that I would not intentionally slight them unless of course, I was. They were just that smart.

I also spent a bulk of my time researching every piece of declassified information involving Commander Shepard, the First Human Specter. The top search result and the first one that I had clicked on was of a speech given by Captain Hannah Shepard. Apparently, the Captain had decided to turn down a promotion to Admiral, because she wanted to honor her daughter's memory by staying in command of a single ship. I briefly considered breaking the news to her that Shepard was either alive or soon to be. Of course, that would draw too much attention from the System's Alliance. Besides taking that promotion would also prevent her from leading the Alliance dreadnought SSV Kilimanjaro during the final battle for the galaxy.

All of it could be a mute point though. As far as I could remember, I've never played through the games with the spacer background. I have no way to know if Captain Hannah Shepard would even be in charge of the dreadnought at that point in time. Even if I had played through the games as a Spacer, I had to consider that I hadn't played a single moment of Mass Effect in over five years. Not since Bioware decided to cancel the franchise once and for all. I knew a good amount of things regarding the fate of the Andromeda Galaxy, but for the main games, I couldn't really rely on the idea of future knowledge.

Oh and I blamed EA for the entirety of Andromeda's problems. On that note, I needed to find out about the Andromeda Initiative at some point. I could always compel my way aboard the human Arc and live out a nice life once things finally settle down with the Kett.

Who knows. Maybe Commander Shepard could save us all from the Reapers, but for me to bank on that I would have to meet her and ask her some really uncomfortable questions about her choices. I couldn't compel her, I had no way to know if there was any lasting damage to my ability and if I made the one chance this galaxy has to survive go crazy then... Besides most of those questions would raise red flags, being classified and all. So, if I wanted to survive, it came down to a single choice. Find the Shepard and convince her to trust me, assuming I could even find her, or I had to track down the Andromeda Initiative.

I decided to take the most logical approach to answering the rather troublesome question. I would do my best to get in touch with someone related to the Andromeda Initiative while also keeping my eyes open for an opportunity to get in touch with the legend herself, Commander Shepard.

That's why I decided to make the Citadel my home, for the time being. The decision had been an easy one for me to make because when I sat down to think about it, I realized that there are very few places in the galaxy that one could expect to find the Jane Shepard. I knew that she would come to the Citadel more than once, and of all the other places that she would frequent, the citadel was by far the safest place for me to be.

That decision was made even easier when I had remembered, the Shadow Broker had an agent somewhere on the station. His name was Barla Von or something of the like. I could use that as a last-ditch attempt to get in touch with either Commander Shepard or with the Initiative.

It seemed the alcohol, even coupled with my preoccupied mind, was not enough to stop my senses from telling me that something was wrong. It could've been nothing, but over the past few weeks, I had learned to trust my senses a great deal. I inhaled slowly and deeply through my nose, allowing every smell to permeate. I pushed aside the familiar smell of booze and the rancid odor of sweat. Like an animal, I honed in on every smell before settling on one in particular. Someone had recently used sakura cherry blossom soap. It was the real stuff from Japan, not that American knockoff crap. I allowed that specific smell to rattle back and forth in my head until I could follow it in the room. Whoever it was, my nose told me that they were thirteen feet to my right and moving towards the bar, towards me, but I couldn't see them. I tried looking at the reflections on my empty shot glasses first, and when that failed I physically turned my head for a moment. That was all it took to realize that there was no one there. I could smell them though, and once they were five feet from me I could hear their heart beating, but it sounded like it was muffled by soundproof walls. Cloaking I guessed.

I paused for a moment, as the gears turned inside of my head. Could it be? The odds of meeting her here randomly are astronomically small, but then again I did come to the citadel because it would be a nexus for important players in this galactic game of survival. I waited until the heartbeat was right next to me, and muttered under my breath, "Kasumi Goto, what a pleasant surprise."

I trained all of my senses on the person next to me at that moment. I could hear their heart skip a beat. I could feel the wind move as they turned their head to look at me. I could smell the surprise, with a tinge of fear. I knew it was her, and I knew that she knew that I did. She stood there silently for a good few moments before I decided to add, "would you like me to buy you a drink?"

After a few more moments of silence, the invisible woman decided to become visible. "After that. Whatever that was," She said with a grin, "yeah, I think I will need a drink."

"Bartender," I called, "get my friend here a drink." I pointed at the blue bottle on the shelf. He poured her a glass and set it down in front us.

Kasumi was unusually quiet, as from what I remembered of her, she was quite the chatterbox. Then I realized what was going on. I spooked her, and so she was analyzing me. She was doing to me what I had done to her moments ago.

"You're staring," I pointed at the reflection on a bottle nearby. Her eyes met mine through the glass and she quickly turned to look at me directly with a pout on her lips. "What?" I asked.

Kasumi sighed and took a sip from her drink, "I'm impressed by your powers of observation..."

"Call me Jason," I smiled, "You don't need to worry. I don't bite." It took me all of three seconds to realize what I just said, and with the sheepish grin, I added, "much."

"Right," Kasumi spoke slowly and with as much sarcasm and skepticism as she could. "Jason it is then. Thanks for the drink."

"Doitashimashite," I said with a wink. It roughly translated to 'don't mention it.'

Kasumi grinned again, "that's cute. Your accent is horrible though, and why are you speaking like some ojisan?"

"Are you calling me an old man? I'll have you know that I was only born in nineteen-nighty-six. I'm not that old." I couldn't help but grin at myself. There was no way that she would believe me, even though it was the truth.

"I highly doubt that," Kasumi turned all the way towards me, "but if that is the case, then yes I am calling you old. Considering the fact that you don't look a day over twenty-five, I think I am going to have to call bullshit."

I raised my hands in mock surrender, "Alright you caught me. I guess that means were tied for who has caught the other most times."

"Yeah well..." Kasumi took a long sip of her drink, "You want to tell me how you did that? Not to brag, but I have never been caught before."

"Trade secret," I reply. "If you want to know, you're going to have to make it worth my time."

"Really? And how do you suppose I do that?" Her tone was both flirty and dangerous.

"I could think of a lot of ways to do that, but the only one that I can think of that doesn't involve going back to my place would be a little guessing game."

I could see the thoughts forming in her head as she realized what I was doing. She grinned again. I noticed that her eyes traveled my body. Oh, she's good. She wanted me to think that she was interested. She wanted me to let my guard down. Two can play at that game. I leaned closer to her and whispered, "I'll make a guess about why you're here, and if I'm right you answer one of my questions. If I'm wrong, I have to answer one of your questions. Then it's your turn, same rules apply."

"Sounds fun," Kasumi spoke with a healthy dose of enthusiasm.

"Okay, for my first guess," I paused for dramatic effect. "You're here for a job."

"That's too easy," Kasumi rolled her eyes.

"Well, I wanted to say that you're the most beautiful woman that I have ever met," I reply just as quickly. "I have a feeling that you would have said the same thing."

"Smooth. You tell the ladies that often?"

"Only the ones who plan on stealing my heart," I couldn't help myself.

"You enjoy joking don't you?" She sounded like she enjoyed my joking too, "Is it my turn now, or are you going to make a real guess?" Kasumi as best I could tell was having real genuine fun. I couldn't let that fool me into dropping my guard though. Too bad, because I wasn't lying when I had said that she was the most beautiful woman that I had ever met. I had a bit of a thing for cute Japanese ladies. Sue me.

"Feel free," I reached over and grabbed my her drink and took a small sip. "I'm in no rush."

Kasumi glared playfully at me and took her drink back and took her own sip. "I think my guess will be: You are good in the sack." She got me there. I had to choose between my pride and letting her win a round.

"Kasumi," look her in the eyes. "Was that an invitation?"

"Who knows," Kasumi leaned in as close as she could without bumping me. "I'll just assume that I hit the mark. Which means you have to answer my question."

"You want to know how I knew it was you."

"Yep. My question is a little more specific though," Kasumi tapped her index finger of the point of my nose, "how did you know I was there?"

I found myself admiring her keen intellect once again. She had constructed that question perfectly. If I told her how I sensed her, she could say that she had meant, how did I know it was her.

"I guessed that it was you. I was able to guess that it was you for the same reason that I knew you were there," I leaned waved my side to side in front of my nose. "I could smell the Sakura Cherry Blossom soup that you used recently. Good choice on the authentic stuff by the way. Once I knew you were there, but I couldn't see you, I put two and two together."

"That's..." "Wait, are you saying that I stink?"

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"You totally are saying that I stink!" Kasumi growled. I could tell that she wasn't offended though. She looked more playful and curious than upset.

I give her a grave look, "let me tell you. With this nose, pretty much everything stinks."

"Okay, if that is true, why come here to a bar," Kasumi, as if to emphasize her point, took another drink. "If you could smell me from a dozen feet away, I can't imagine that you enjoy the smell of all this booze."

"I can block it out if I want to. I can thank god for that because I don't want to imagine a world where I cant get my poison. As for your question, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It actually a little funny, you showing up right now. I am starting to think that it's a sign."

"Wow... That's the worst pick up line I've ever heard," Kasumi rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious," I said, "it's not a pickup line."

Kasumi smirked, "aren't you getting a little full of-" Her omnitool interrupted her with an alert. I could have sworn that I heard her mutter several Japanese curses under her breath. She shook her head and downed the rest of her drink.

"You have to go." I could tell by the frown on her face that she was genuinely enjoying our chat. That surprised me. Here I was thinking that she was trying her best to manipulate what information she wanted out of me.

"I do. I think that this is the part where we say that we will see each other later, but considering that you'll smell me first..." Kasumi waved her hand in front of her nose, "I put my contact in your omnitool" she winked and then vanished.

Author's Notes: _That's a wrap for this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read it. As you may have already learned, this story would be considered a self-insert because Jason has some knowledge of the games. Don't let that sway your opinion of the story because he is far from a Mary Sue. He has his specialties and his weaknesses. They will come into play, and things will not go as he expects. A story needs to have a struggle after all. I hope to see you again at the next update._


	3. Chapter Three: Bloody Red

_Chapter Three: Bloody Red_

I tried following Kasumi's scent from a distance. She was tricky, going in circles and making strange detours. I wondered if she had found out that I was following her, but I didn't know her well enough to say that she wasn't always this paranoid. If she did know I was tracking her though, she was doing a damn fine job of shaking me. On a hunch, I powered down my tool. She put her contact in it without me noticing, who knows what else she put in it? It was unsettling to know that I could have a location tracking bug, so I put that thought out of mind for the time being.

Kasumi took a more direct path, towards the Zakera Ward. That doesn't mean she stopped her diversions, no she kept those up. I only realized that she was heading to the Zakera Wards because that was where I hoped she was going in the first place. That meant that Shepard had either arrived at the Citadel or was soon going to.

I reached the Zakera Ward within two minutes and found a good place where I could stay out of sight from the catwalks.

The Zakera Wards are absolutely massive, but I knew the two most important places. Commander Shepard needed to see the C-Sec captain before she could enter the station. I found a metal pillar near the C-Sec office, one out of sight from the main area. No one could see me from the catwalks, or from any of the advertisement pillars, and I could see everyone exiting C-Sec.

I leaned against the pillar, took a deep breath, and allowed my senses to explore my surroundings. It was a nice trick that I picked up. If I allowed myself to surrender to every sensation, stimulus and feeling, I could see and hear everything I needed to. The only downside was that I could miss something right in front of my face.

It was like I was right there, but I wasn't.

I allowed my senses to focus on the aliens in the nearby area. Asari sound a lot like people, from their hearts to the way they walk and talk. They smell different though, almost like they always have perfume on. Salarians are nice for the most part, with the exception of how fast their heartbeats. I couldn't bear to be around more than a dozen of them at a time without getting a headache. Turians are the worst of the bunch. They have two sets of vocal cords. Their primary vocal cords are used to create sound within the human hearing range. Their secondary vocal cords create sound in what is known in the sub-vocal range. Turians use sub-vocals to convey emotion, and they have an infuriating habit of only hiding emotion within the human hearing range while speaking to humans. I didn't realize how much turians despise humans, but now that I know... That isn't the end of it though because their hearts sound just enough like people to make my gut freak out when it realizes that it is not in fact people. For whatever reason, it takes away my hunger for a while. I 'rented' a room at one of the higher end turian hotels as soon as I reached the citadel. I was happy to see that the hotel had a human manager, I quickly pulled him aside and asked him nicely to give me a room for free until I decided to leave the citadel. He was happy to oblige. I almost felt bad about using compulsion on him, but I was in a rough spot. The turian hotel helped me keep a relatively level head.

Perhaps subconsciously because of my line of thought, my senses honed in on one specific turian. He was somewhere inside C-Sec, and his voice dripped with annoyed sub-vocals, "thanks, Bailey. I'm glad that you're willing to bend the rules for an old friend. Before we go see the council, I just have one more favor to ask you. Use your authority to ban Shepard from ever flying one of those sky cars ever again. That was worse than the damned mako! Spirits. Shepard, you go ahead. I need a breather."

I snapped out of my trance at just the right moment to see long blood red hair and blue eyes stepped out of the C-Sec office. She was taller than me by at least two inches, and she was absolutely stunning. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. She noticed my stare.

Quick. Do something that isn't idiotic.

"Commander Shepard," I offered my hand. "Please, call me Jason. I must say, you look damn good for a dead woman. Can you tell me your secret?"

Shepard smiled and shook my hand, "I eat my broccoli like a good girl," she laughed at her own joke, "Or maybe its the amount of moisturizer that I use. I have to keep these hands nice and soft for all the paperwork involved with coming back from the dead."

"Broccoli and I aren't on good terms," I cupped my chin between my thumb and forefinger, "actually now that I think about it, I don't have a good relationship with any of those horrible things that you call vegetables."

Shepard stifled a laugh, "I think you should know, my first instinct was that you needed my help. You had that look. I see it a lot in my travels." "Its rare that people engage in witty banter before asking me to solve their shit. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Shepard." I stretched my arms out in front of me, rolled my shoulders and asked, "Was that my cue to tell you about my problem?"

"You think?" Shepard smirked again.

I could watch that woman smile all day.

"Alright," I laughed nervously. "Sorry. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out the best way to say this. No matter what I think of it just sounds crazy."

"I deal with crazy on the daily." Shepard leaned against the pillar only a few feet from me and said, "Just tell me everything."

"Alright. I should start off with this." I moved closer and whispered, "I know that the Collectors are abducting human colonies. I know that you're working to stop them."

"That isn't exactly common knowledge," Shepard leaned forward and spoke in her best quiet voice.

"You're right. It isn't common knowledge. I recently had a small altercation with the infamous Cerberus, your most recent employer."

"Please, don't tell me that this conversation is you warning me about Cerberus. I know better than anyone how bad they are. I took down several of their operations during my fight against Saren. I'd blow Cerberus up if I could, but right now they are the only ones out here fighting to save these colonies. If the Council won't help, and the Alliance won't help, then I'll be damned if I refuse help from the only one willing to offer it."

"I'm not here to warn you about Cerberus, or to judge you for working with them."

"That's refreshing." Shepard thumbed her chin absentmindedly and said, "So about your run in with Cerberus, what happened?"

"I don't know what they did to me, because I have some holes in my memory, but I woke up in a Cerberus facility on some moon in the middle of nowhere. As far as I can tell they kidnapped me." I took a breath and thought over my next words, "I woke up with enough raw strength to accidentally tear off the titanium restraints they had holding me down. I'm fast too, and I heal from deadly wounds in a matter of minutes. I feel like a damned Krogan."

"Damn. That's..." Shepard struggled to find the right words. I never expected to see that.

"Fucked up?" "I can't let that keep me down. I escaped with my life, something that I should be proud of. Now I just want to find a way to do some good in the galaxy."

"How did you escape?"

"After I broke my restraints, I wandered around the facility until I found a shuttle. It took a while to get it working right, but it had an autopilot function that took me to one of those refueling stations that orbit near mass relays."

"The facility was left unguarded? Where were the guards and the scientists?"

"I killed everyone who got in my way. If there was anyone left alive I would have known."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"My senses are sharp. I would have known if there was someone else."

"How sharp are these senses of yours?"

"They are sharp enough to know that there's a cloaked woman around the corner, on the far side of the room. She's up high. I can smell her soap. "

"Bullshit," Shepard pushed off the pillar and pointed at me, "Wait. I'll be right back, can you wait right here please." She moved around the corner.

I trained my ears carefully.

"Commander Shepard, enter your password to get a prize. Its small, cute, and Japanese."

"Kasumi Goto," I could hear the smile in her voice,"You can come down from the catwalks."

"You're kidding me," Kasumi sounded very annoyed, "Is this some kind of joke Shepard? Is that wolfhound a friend of yours? Where is he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shepard lied. "Meet me at the Normandy. We can talk when I finish my business on the Citadel."

A few seconds later Shepard popped around the corner with a satisfied grin on her face and she said, "I see you already had a run-in with one of the members of my crew," she raised her brow, "I get the feeling that this little meeting of ours is no accident. What's really going on?"

"I loved Spider-Man as a child. He's an old superhero, from early comics in the twentieth century. His uncle told him that with great power comes a great responsibility. There's a lesson in there. I have the ability to help people, to do something more with my life before we all die. So I wanted to let you know that if you ever need help, or need another man on your side, I would be honored to help you."

"That was not what I was expecting," Shepard's shoulders shook and she looked at me with a stupid smile, "in my past experience, people have three reasons to talk to me. The first is that they want something from me for free. The second is that they know something I need to know, and they want to get something out of me. The third is that they want to distract me before they try to kill me. As you can see, I am still alive, which means that I've done a lot of shit for stubborn and unhelpful pieces of shit just to get what I need."

"Okay..."

"Sorry," she apologized, "I was hoping that coming back from the dead would make things different. People are still the same though. It's me who's different. You too, in your own way."

"Thanks, Shepard," I gently punched her shoulder, "Kasumi has my email if you ever need me for a mission or anything else. That reminds me, I think she put a tracker program on my omnitool without me noticing. I'm not the most tech-savvy person in the galaxy, so that is going to be a pain in the ass."

"You'll have to tell me the story of how you two met," Shepard said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. I had a funny feeling. "There's plenty of downtime between missions."

"Sorry. What do you mean? Are you...?"

"I'm building a team. I think you might have the potential to be a useful part of that team. You did just offer to help me, mind if I ask you to join my crew as a member of the ground team? It pays."

"I'll make you a deal. I will join you on this mission of yours free of charge. In return, I want to speak with the Illusive Man. It doesn't have to be soon, but I would like to talk to him. Oh, and a regular supply of whiskey."

"Deal," Shepard had a devious look on her face. "Welcome to the team, Jason."

Author's Notes: _That's a wrap for this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope to see you again at the next update._


	4. Chapter Four: Rough Beginning

_Chapter Four: Rough Beginning_

I've probably mentioned it once or twice, but damn does whiskey taste like shit. I only drink it for one reason, and one reason only. I like to think that with enough whiskey in my system, that's a lot of whiskey for the record, I can relax and forget about the ever daunting world of blood. For a while at least. A constant headache is well worth it so that I don't have to worry about suddenly wanting to eat my allies.

I relied on whiskey to the point that Kasumi offered to switch quarters with me after only four or so hours. I refused, not wanting to go overboard and drink more than was actually necessary, and I said as such. Kasumi had laughed before she told me something along the lines of, "no one needs to drink."

Sometimes, whiskey isn't enough to quell the dark thoughts and urges. Sometimes I need blood. I am a vampire after all.

I tested my resolve while I was aboard the Citadel, going weeks without a single drop of blood. The last time I had a drop of blood was twenty days ago, and I could feel something in the back of my mind telling me that whiskey wasn't going to be enough to stop me from feeding now. Damn. I should have done something about it before boarding the Normandy. I forgot.

I was well aware of the situation that I was in from the moment I opened my eyes and realized that the Normandy had already left the massive space station. EDI watched every part of the ship, and everything she saw was reported directly to the Illusive Man. Shepard, being paranoid herself, had said that the showers were safe, but I doubted that Cerberus would allow any blind spots to exist, even if it meant violating our privacy.

The voice in my head told me that I was going to lose control. It told me that I was going to kill everyone. It told me I needed to do something, or I was going to lose my mind. I recalled something that someone had said a long time ago, "a mind is a terrible thing to lose." It's a shame that I forgot who had told me that.

That didn't leave me with much of a choice. I had to get myself some blood, but that wasn't going to be easy. I spent a few minutes staring out the observation window, my mind thinking of solutions to my problem. The simplest option was to just ask someone to let me drink a few mouthfuls of their blood, but for obvious reasons that wasn't the best idea. I could just as easily use compulsion and force someone to let me have their blood, but I was unsure of the long-term effects of such an action. I couldn't risk compromising the mission, and I had no idea who was essential to the mission's success beyond the obvious.

It seemed hopeless.

I smacked the wall with my fist, leaving a minor dent in the metal. I only met Shepard yesterday. I wanted to believe that I could explain my situation to her and that she would magically find me a solution, but I knew better. I needed to show her that I was worth trusting, enough to look past my curse, and that would take time.

There was a bit of hope, even if it was just a glimmer. See, yesterday Shepard and Miranda had gotten into a slightly heated argument. I was able to hear them across the ship, which meant that someone else could have heard them from just outside Miranda's door.

I remembered it clearly.

"The Illusive Man disapproves of this decision, Shepard. We did everything that we could, searched through all of our cells and all of our past operations. There isn't anything even remotely related to the details that he gave you. If it was just enhanced speed, strength, and senses, maybe. However, those projects haven't given any of the test subjects even close to the level of smell that would be required to smell a cloaked operative from fifty meters away in an open-air population center." Miranda's voice trailed off for a moment, before coming back strong. "Other than the incident at project Lazarus, we haven't had a single attack, let alone a massacre, in the last twenty weeks. This is an obvious fabrication. Its a lie, you realize that don't you?"

"Obviously. I know a lie when I see one."

"Why would you let him aboard the ship? He's a security risk with a misplaced vendetta against our organization."

"It wasn't Jason who was lying. The Illusive Man is lying to us, and he must have a damn good reason, otherwise, he would let you in on it."

"I resent that accusation."

"Assume I'm right. Where does that leave Jason? Cerberus heard our entire conversation thanks to the bugs you put in my armor. If I turned him away, Cerberus would have arranged to make him disappear in less than an hour. Even if Cerberus didn't experiment on him, even if it was some other organization pretending to be Cerberus... Cerberus would still take him just to learn what makes him tick.

"Cerberus isn't interested in wasting resources on charlatans. There is no way that anyone could have heard, smelled, or whatever'ed an operative under tactical cloak from that distance."

"I could order you to let this go, but you're as stubborn as I am."

"Damn right."

"Time for a wager. I'm right, and you leave Jason alone and you get him that meeting he asked for. I'm wrong, and I will personally help you look into him."

"What's the wager?" Miranda's voice asked.

"Proof that he's as real as they come."

"Good luck."

"EDI where is Jason, and what is he doing?"

"Jason is currently in the star field observation room, his unofficial quarters. He is currently shaking his head back and forth, making an X with his arms, while looking at one of the nano cameras installed in the room. Now, he is making a vulgar display. Joker called it, 'flipping the bird,' would that be all commander?"

"That's perfect EDI. Thank you."

"Bloody hell."

"I expect that you will make him a formal apology as well, Miranda."

I wanted to hear more of their conversation but something muffled the sounds and I was unable to make sense of the words from that point on. I decided to hit the sack for the day. Sleep was dreamless for once and gave me little comfort or rest.

I woke up the next morning realizing two things at once. Looking out the observation window, it was obvious that we had left the Citadel, which was bad because I had a nearly overwhelming thirst for blood that needed to be quenched.

Hence my current dilemma.

The next half hour passed in a haze. I wasn't entirely sure that it had been a half hour. It could have been five minutes, or it could have been an entire day. All I know is that it felt like forever, and it seemed like there was nothing I could do to get rid of the hunger pains and the dark urges. Incoherently and without much thinking involved, I hatched a plan.

The sound of metal hitting metal knocked sense into me. It had been like I was weighed down by something heavy, and then all of the sudden the weight was just gone. My nose twitched, as I could smell the sulfurous odor of sweat and a small amount of ozone. It wasn't a pleasant combination.

How did I get to the Cargo Bay?

I asked the silent question to myself after looking at my surroundings. My eyes moved to my arms. They were almost completely covered in sweat. No, they were drenched in sweat. It dripped off of my fingertips and evaporated before hitting the floor. I noticed two dumbbells at my feet. They had electronic displays and each one read 170 lb.

"What the hell?" I asked to no one in particular. Where did I get the weights and why was I working out? Last I could remember I was on my way to eat someone.

I didn't have the chance to find the answers to these important questions. I felt Kasumi's eyes on my back from her hiding spot in the shadows. She didn't know that I had smelled her presence. I decided to keep it that way for as long as possible, tensing my body and ready and my muscles so that I could move with lightning speed. It happened in an instant, and I had her against the metal wall, her cloak instantly disappearing with a shimmer of light. I laughed. It was deep and almost menacing. Her eyes stared at mine, refusing to show any fear. "It isn't polite to watch people without saying anything, but I guess that's just what you're into, isn't it?"

"Guilty as charged," Kasumi said as she rubbed the back of her neck. She had her hood down for once, and I was able to see her entire face.

I stepped back to give her some semblance of personal space, also distancing myself from the strong scent of zinc coursing through her neck. "Did you at least enjoy the show?"

"I wouldn't want to inflate your ego any more than it already has been," Kasumi said with a sarcastic twist of her lips. "Or anything else." Kasumi was telling dirty jokes at my expense. I should have bitten her when I had the chance.

Kasumi asked, "What got you to come down here and give me such a fine show? As strong as you are, it's kind of pointless for you to work out. Were you trying to work off steam or something?" It was unintentional. Her question reminded me of my problems, and of the urge tugging at my stomach for me to put my teeth on her neck.

"Sensory overload," I lied. It wasn't like I could tell her, I want to suck your blood. Kasumi stood there awkwardly for more than a moment, completely quiet as she mulled over my response. I felt guilty lying to her about the exact reason, but it was close enough to the truth for me to be able to put that aside.

Kasumi didn't have a chance to respond as the door opened and Shepard said, "So that's why you asked to be paid in booze, isn't it?"

Kasumi vanished into thin air and ran to the elevator. She barely made it in time for the door to close behind her.

Traitor.

"Did you see the blush on her face?" The sound of Shapard's smooth voice turned something inside of my stomach, and I felt my throat constrict. What is it about that woman that makes me react in such a way? A lock of her red hair moved out of place and she talked it back behind her ear. "You're blushing too! What did I walk in on? Joker told me to check the cargo bay because he registered a loud bang. Please tell me that wasn't a euphemism."

I couldn't believe my ears, so much so that I wanted to cut the words out of my memory with a plastic fork. "I blame joker for this. I don't care if it doesn't make a lick of sense. I blame him. It's what he deserves after listening to Asari-Hannah porn all of the time. I can't step foot on the CIC without hearing that shit."

"It's nice to know that you're getting to know the crew, Joker included," Shepard said with a devious smile that told me that she wouldn't help me with that problem. The woman is a sadist, but what did I expect?

What the hell is wrong with these women?

"So far the only person that I think I'll have trouble with is Miranda. Hopefully, your little stunt has smoothed things over a little, but I feel like there's going to be more trouble in the future."

"Are you saying that because she works for Cerberus."

"It's not because she's part of Cerberus. It's because I'm afraid. Cerberus changed me in a lot of ways, and I'm not certain that I can truly be called human anymore. It's... You know what kind of person Miranda is, and I don't know if she would be willing to accept that."

"You look human. You sound human," Shepard said as she touched my cheek. "You even feel human. You're as human as the rest of us, no matter what's inside. I'm sure that Miranda would see that just as easily as I can."

"It's impossible for you to understand what I'm talking about. I promise to try and help you understand if you want, but that's not something I'll discuss today."

"Everything in moderation."

"Exactly."

"Isn't it a little hypocritical of you to agree with me when you're drinking so much whiskey? You had five bottles in two days."

"It's necessary. It helps me stay in control of my h-" I stopped myself and cleared my throat, mentally chastising myself for what I almost said. "Superhuman senses. If I don't, I'd go crazy and probably kill someone. I'm exaggerating, but you get the point." I counted the seconds, Hoping that Shepard had not noticed my blunder.

"What is it like when it's not crippling?"

"It's the most amazing thing in the world. I feel connected to everything. I can hear every sound, feel every vibration, smell every scent, and taste every taste as if I was right there. Talking to someone is much more intimate than it used to be, it's more vulnerable. For them because it's impossible to hide things with me, and for me, because they could cripple me with a shout. It takes trust to let my guard down."

"The way you put it," Shepard said, "it's so romantic."

"Is it?"

"It's probably as close to the Asari's mind meld as a human could ever get."

"That explains a lot," I said.

"Really?" Shepard asked, "and what exactly does it explain?"

"When a biotic mates with an Asari, it changes the chemistry of their biotics enough for me to notice. You and Liara must have been close."

Shepard's heart spazzed in a minor arrhythmia. Her cheeks turned red as she said, "Liara and I shared a special bond of friendship. She helped me sort through the vision that I received on Eden Prime."

"The vision..."

"The protheans left a warning about the reapers in their beacons.

"If you're willing, I would like to see the vision for myself someday. I haven't mentioned it yet, but I have the ability to see memories and dreams."

"That's incredible," Shepard said.

"I hesitate to call it that. To me it's horrible. I've used it a few times by accident. The first time... was when I killed my way out of that Cerberus facility. When I close my eyes, all I see is the pain, fear, and death that I caused. I'm on the receiving end of it."

"That's a lot like what I see when I close my eyes. The vision is a collage of memories, and they depict when the reapers did. I'd be willing to show you if you want, but I recommend against it."

I breathed a sigh of relief. For the moment, things went according to plan. I'd help her find Javik soon enough and maybe then the council would act. "Why don't re-revisit the topic after I get some control over the ability. Right now it feels like space magic."

"Of course," Shepard said with a curt nod. She looked at her omnitool and sighed. "I should go. Perhaps you would like to see Miranda? I'm sure that you two can come to an understanding."

"When you say it like that I get the impression that you're trying to set me up with her."

"Who knows? The two of you need to loosen up a lot."

I waved her off as I said, "I'll take that under advisement."

Shepard made a quick exit, using the elevator to leave the shuttle bay and go to whatever business it was that she had to do. I was finally alone.

Author's Notes: _That's a wrap for this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope to see you again at the next update._


	5. Chapter Five: Finally Some Blood

_Chapter Five: Finally Some Blood_

I was at the bar aboard the Normandy the day before my first mission. Kasumi was somewhere else, likely stealing trinkets from the crew. She didn't let her occupation aboard the vessel stop her from her favorite pastime, the damn kleptomaniac. At least she returned everything, eventually. No one caught on to her games as far as I could tell, except for myself and probably EDI. I caught her early on, but that's because I could smell the lingering whips of her soap in my room after my favorite pair of blue jeans went missing. I didn't know why I even bothered locking the door to the space observation module where I bunked.

I groaned, memories of the mission coming to mind. I was a bad shot, and the smell of blood practically crippled me for most of the fighting. I was only good for one thing on the battlefield, being a bloody bullet sponge.

That's why I was getting drunk, to prepare for my eventual talk with Shepard.

I swallowed the last mouthful of whiskey, shaking the empty bottle and hoping that there was more, but there wasn't and just when I was about to grab another bottle, my nose twitched. Kasumi was in my room.

I let out a whimper, resigning to the fact that the kleptomaniac was never going to leave my stuff alone, no matter how hard I tried to convince her that it was futile. In fact, I was sure that it would only make her want to steal my stuff even more. "EDI, could you please tell the current occupant of my room to leave my shit alone, so help me God."

"Of course," EDI said without a hint of emotion, making me wonder if she knew Kasumi's whereabouts as well as I did, which would mean she was turning a blind eye to Kasumi's thieving ways.

"Kasumi Goto, Jason suggests that you leave his underwear drawer alone unless you want him to go through yours."

"That was a joke."

"That one wasn't half bad, EDI. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Jason has been giving me tips."

It only took her a dozen seconds to cross the deck, finding me at the bar in her room. I was getting predictable, just like her.

"It seems that I'm not the only one fooling around in someone else's room." Kasumi lips curled into a small smile, betraying her amusement. "You're always drinking you know."

I rolled my eyes and poured two drinks. Kasumi took one to the sofa and, with the other in hand, I sat down with her. "You should have learned two things by now."

Kasumi narrowed her eyes, playfully telling me that she doesn't like being told what she should and shouldn't do. "Those would be?"

"First, it's unhealthy to try and stop me from drinking. I love whiskey more than anything else in the whole galaxy, you included," I said.

"It would be a shame if the booze killed what's left of your brain cells."

Ignoring her insult, I said, "Second, trying to hide from me is pointless. I know your scent like the back of my hand, even when you haven't used your signature soap for a while. I can even hear the soft purr-like snores that you make when you sleep, from my room."

"You could be having lots of fun with those senses, but instead you try to annoy me all the time. Why is that? Are you in love or something."

"You wish," I said, "you're just my pastime, entertainment if you will. Or would you have me peeping on armory chief Taylor when he does push-ups like you do?"

"Low blow, Wolfe," Kasumi said, wagging her finger. She started calling me that after the second time I caught her snooping around the ship and it seemed like the rest of the crew liked the name, so it kind of stuck, much to my dismay.

"Maybe I'm just spiteful," I said, "you haven't tried peeping on me since I caught you last time. Guys like to know that they're attractive too, you know."

"Right... If you caught me again, which would definitely happen, you would never let me hear the end of it. Besides after what happened between you and Miranda, I'm sure you've had enough peeping in your life."

"That was not my fault. The woman needs to learn how to knock before barging into my room to talk to me."

"So you're saying that you didn't hear her coming from a mile away?"

"Thought so. I would never have guessed you to be an exhibitionist, but people are full of surprises. Some more than others."

"I am not an exhibitionist, damn it. I woke up and I didn't expect her to just barge in..."

"You don't fool me, Wolfe. You're the most perceptive asshole in the entire galaxy as far as I am concerned, and that's saying something coming from me. That's why I asked Shep to put you on my mission five days from now."

"You did what now?"

"She hasn't told you yet?"

"Shepard and I haven't spoken in a while. So, what is this about you having me put on your mission?"

"A heist! You're going to be helping me infiltrate a secure vault during, that scum, Donovan Hawk's party. Isn't that exciting?"

"Wait. Why am I the one infiltrating the Vault? Shepard would be a much better choice, because of her experience, don't you think?"

"Of course she's the better choice, that is why you're going as her date. You get to be the eyes and the ears of the mission, Wolfe."

I grunted in a vague expression of acceptance, trying not to show that I was actually pleased to hear that Kasumi would trust me with something so important to her. As strange as it was, I thought of her as a friend, even though we only had a handful of conversations over the course of a week. I couldn't bear to let her down. "I'll help you out, but you owe me one."

"Sounds exciting. Do you want me to help you return the favor on Miranda after she walked in on you naked? I bet she wears white."

Blinking away the surprise that etched my face, I shook my head and gave her a sardonic look. "I happen to know that she wears black."

Not wanting to allow Kasumi to question me on how I could possibly know that, I handed her my empty glass and exited the room before heading to the elevator. I spent the rest of the day in engineering, attempting to keep myself calm. As easy as it was to talk to my best friend, I was so long without blood that I was starting to find it hard to focus. I could see myself attacking her if I stayed with her too long, which was not an option. Luckily, I only had to hold through until the next day for a chance to fix that problem.

It was time for my first mission as a team member. Operation: Okeer... I mean Grunt!

Kasumi helped me go over the final checks as we got ready for battle. I asked her to disable the suits monitoring systems and cameras, and while she tried to convince me to leave them be, she did it anyway. I just needed a few minutes alone with one of the mercenaries, and I would be good to go for a few days.

My throat was far too dry for my liking.

The shuttle moved quickly and dropped us off just outside of the compound. I had convinced Shepard to take me as an additional member of the team, purely as a scout. My speed and senses could get me deep into enemy lines before the fighting even began, and I could tag the enemies locations to give Shepard the tactical edge. That was enough for her to let me have free reign.

My feet moved faster than they ever had before as they carried me deep into the enemies territory. I marked the first two squad's location and numbers, and when I the combat started I had enough of a head start that I could snatch a lone blue sun.

The squad ahead of me was on alert after they received reports of intruders on the outskirts of the mercenaries' territory. I counted three of them, but I could smell a fourth one somewhere nearby but out of view from myself and the rest.

It felt like my birthday all of the sudden.

I moved quickly and silently, making sure to ease into each step with the balls of my feet. I doubt even the ground knew I was walking on it. The smell of burnt cigar hit my nose as my target let out a puff of white and grey smoke. He was just around the corner. I closed my eyes for a moment and let everything take hold in my mind. It was far easier than any other time I had done so.

His thumb trailed along the lighter's teeth. His heart moved slightly slower in response, and his lips twitched against the cigar. The image was foggy, but I could see his face. His beard was messy and his eyes were blue. He was looking towards the base, and away from the corner that I was just around.

I turned the corner quickly and grabbed him by the neck with one hand and with my other hand I pressed him against the wall. The sound that his heart made sent shivers down my spine, and my teeth elongated in response. It wasn't just the usual four, but instead, all of my teeth had turned.

He tried to escape the moment he realized what was about to happen, but he was far too weak to escape my grasp. I loved the way his throat moved against my hand as he tried to speak, but all he managed to get out was a soft whimper unbefitting of a man. I felt the urge to laugh as I brought his neck to my mouth like he was an apple. Thirty-two razor-sharp teeth ripped through his neck. I had taken a chunk of flesh. I spat it out nearby and brought the wound to my lips. I swallowed several mouthfuls, all while he tried to push me away. It was futile, his body was mine. His blood was mine. His life was mine. The last drop of blood hit my tongue in less than a minute, and I was left with a bitter feeling. I wasn't completely satiated, but it would have to do for now.

"Jason," I head Commander Shepard call my name over the communications channel. "Report, where are you?"

"I had a small scuffle with a blue sun that was alone. I tried to take him out but he put up some resistance. I'm just outside the base, and there's a Krogan ahead. He's friendly. I'll move to back him up, see you soon."

"Good job,"

I marked the two squads between the base and me, where I found the Krogan. I decided to engage, helping the Krogan.

Blood is one hell of a drug.

Time seemed to slow down right before my foot impacted with the mercenary's kneecap. The sickening crack of bone echoed across the battlefield. I paused for a split second as the man tried to prevent himself from falling over, a half second later and my fist slammed into his helmet at full force. The protective gear instantly deformed and crushed his skull.

The entire squad of blue suns turned their guns on me.

A trail of bullets shattered my shields and bounced off of my armor. I gritted my teeth at the pain inflicted by the first round that penetrated. My vision started to narrow until it was just a small tunnel surrounded by a red haze.

I made it to the next blue sun, but by the time I crossed the distance, I was covered in wounds and bleeding all over. I impacted with the force of a large bull and sent the man flying in the opposite direction, but I reached out and grabbed his leg before he flew away. With all of my strength, I tossed him at his allies.

A Krogan laughed nearby and seized the opportunity to detonate the pile of men and women with a well-placed grenade. He was intuitive enough to notice that I was waiting for someone else. He stood silently for the squad to arrive.

Shepard used her knees to absorb the impact as she dropped down from the area above. Garrus followed her example perfectly, while Kasumi slid down a thin wire. Fancy.

"Is this the Krogan you mentioned?" Shepard asked.

"Yes. I was only able to kill one of them, while he killed the rest."

The Krogan looked at me with a devil of a smile but said nothing. He knew it was technically the truth. His eyes studied Shepard for a moment before he asked, "are you their battle master?"

"You could say that. Are you one of Okeer's warriors?"

"The tank told me how to fight, and when it finished, it released me. I was imperfect, and now I fight."

"If you were imperfect, why do you fight?" Shepard asked.

"I fight because I feel the call of battle in my blood. I will not die without first killing my enemies. I shall stay here, but you should continue."

The Krogan opened the way to the base.

"He was nice."

"Kasumi, I can smell that."

"You're the worst."

"Come on you two. There's only one way forward from here on out. Stick together."

"Twelve mercenaries ahead, and several feral Krogan."

"Garrus, focus on their head plates. Drop them hot and drop them fast."

Shepard surprised me when she tossed her hand forward and a biotic ball of energy flew across the field of battle. With a flick of her wrist, the biotic attack detonated with an incredible amount of energy.

The smile on my face grew wider as Shepard absolutely destroyed the opposition. With her leadership, I was able to actually make a dent in the enemy en masse. I wasn't as deadly as Garrus and his sniper rifle, nor was I capable of the support that Kasumi offered with her tech expertise, but my brute strength allowed me to destroy the enemies up close. I was more than a little wounded by the time the fighting stopped, but that would soon heal itself. The pain was more than I liked to bear, however.

Soon enough we stopped just outside Okeere's office. A lithe looking Asari seemed to recognize Shepard, and memories of the encounter came back to me. As far as I could remember, she was destined to end up indoctrinated in the third game if she was let go here.

I kept track of her heart rate and breathing as she spoke with Shepard. She was panicked, but as far as I could tell, she was sincere in her pleadings. She was genuinely trying to save lives and make a positive impact on the galaxy.

"Shepard, if I may?"

"What is it, Jason?" Shepard looked slightly annoyed at my interruption, but she knew well enough that I was the eyes and ears of the group. If I had something to say, it was probably of value.

"She's telling the truth. She's more afraid of not being able to help the Krogan race than she is of actually dying. If you let her go, I can send her in the right direction."

"You could do that?" The Asari asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at Shepard. "Depends on what the boss says."

"Why not?"

I traded contact information with the Asari and we sent her on her way. Next up, we had to meet the nasty old Krogan himself.

"I'm moving ahead to do some scouting. If I find their leader, I'll try and take her out quietly."

"Alright," Shepard confirmed.

Kasumi stopped me before I left. She touched the damaged armor near one of the bullet holes and dried blood. The blood stains were a mix of my own blood and the blood that dripped down my neck when I fed on the lone mercenary. I had to keep my helmet on to avoid anyone seeing the stains on my mouth itself.

"What is it?"

"Just because you can take lots of bullets, doesn't mean you should."

"Kasumi, are you?"

"That's enough of that. You have a job to do until we get that old bastard to shut up." Kasumi said.

I knew exactly where I needed to go to end the mission. I followed the open path until I reached the garage.

"I'm sitting here waiting for a commando squad, and you're all they sent after me? You? You're covered in bullet holes and blood. I'm almost insulted, but then again that just makes it easier to kill you." Jedore said.

So, I was a theater kid in high school.

I removed my helmet with one hand and crushed it between my fingers. My vision narrowed into red tunnels like before and my teeth grew until they pushed past my lips. I grimaced from ear to ear and said in a blood-curdling voice, "I'm here to escort you to hell, Jedore. Come with me and you won't even have to die or wait until the commando team arrives. I get to feast on your flesh either way."

I pushed my compulsion into my words, and while at this distance it was not guaranteed to work, it would certainly add weight to my words.

By the time I finished my dramatic display, Jedore was shooting her rifle at me like a mad woman with big eyes. Her heart moved so quickly I couldn't tell the beats apart and her entire body smelled of urine. There was no doubt in my mind that it was fresh.

I laughed as loudly as I could as the bullets passed straight through me. I could hardly feel a thing, I was too busy imagining the taste and texture of her blood. I wondered if an evil woman would taste different, maybe bitter?

A lucky bullet tore through my neck and hit my spine. I fell to the floor like a rag doll, and it was going to be several seconds before I could move again.

The bullets stopped several seconds later. The sound of her shoes hitting the ground approached me until I could see her staring down at me with an insane grin on her face like she had just beaten death. The next second, my spine had reattached itself enough for me to move. I had her pinned to the wall across the room in less time than it took her to blink. I hardly noticed that I had done it myself. The impact broke several of her bones and popped one of her eyes from her socket. I felt the overwhelming urge to lick it, which I did with as much menace as I could.

She begged and pleaded incoherently but it didn't stop me from inserting my teeth into her neck. Her blood was amazing. It was even better than my last victim. By the time she was completely dry, I had fully satiated myself.

"What... have I done?" Blood stained every inch of my armor and most of my face. Her neck was missing a large amount of flesh, and I couldn't see it anywhere, which only meant one thing. I had... eaten it.

I was something straight out of a horror movie, and if I didn't find a way to explain the blood coating my entire body...

"Jason," you didn't answer communications. We came to check on -oh my god."

I turned to Shepard and Kasumi. Garrus was strangely missing, but that wasn't important at the moment. Shepard's eyes moved to the body on the floor. "Is that Jedore?"

"Yes." I tried to keep my voice flat as I answered Shepard.

"Okay, I guess that means we can go. Garrus is escorting Okeer to the shuttle. Let's move out."

"That's all?"

"Yes," Shepard said, "oh and drop your gear off for repair and take a shower when we're back on the Normandy. I don't want you tracking blood everywhere. You really need to learn to avoid getting shot."

Something about the way she said it sent a chill down my spine.

Author's Notes: _That's a wrap for this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope to see you again at the next update._


	6. Chapter Six: Blood, meet Hawk

_Chapter Six: Mr. Blood, meet Mrs. Hawk._

* * *

JASON

* * *

"You look great in that suit, Mr. Blood," Kasumi said before turning to Shepard, "and Mrs. Blood that red dress is as stunning as your hair. The two of you are sure to get a few looks."

"I assume that Mr. and Mrs. Blood is the cover?"

"Indeed. I took the liberty of making you an entire background. Papers, witnesses, bank accounts, and even an article in badass weekly. I may have used your picture Mr. Blood."

"What picture?"

"I took a picture of you after you took down Jedore. They absolutely loved it, and put you on the cover."

"That's great. Now the entire galaxy will think that I'm a Mercenary."

"As long as Donovan Hawk believes that you're a mercenary, it makes our job easier," Shepard said.

"Exactly," Kasumi said, "just don't start talking business with him and you'll do fine. Otherwise, well I wouldn't want to have to shoot my way out."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure it doesn't come to that," I said. I meant it too. I'd find a way to prevent Donovan Hawk from ruining this heist.

"Great," Kasumi said with a nod. "Hawk is a weapon dealer and smuggler. He killed my partner and stole his grey box. Other than that he's not so bad. Rich, Charismatic, and he doesn't mind cracking open someone's skull to get their neural implant."

"Sounds like I need to arrange an accident," I said with a grave tone that shocked even me. "He fucks with my best friend, he falls off a three-story building head first. Ever seen that old movie 300?"

"I haven't," Kasumi said, "but I don't want this chance to slip away from us. If I have to let that bastard live, then that's acceptable."

"Understood," Shepard said. It surprised me to see how well Shepard was able to adapt to being under someone else's command. She said, "it's about time you fill us in on the last of the details."

"Of course," Kasumi said before she explained the plan in detail. My role was to keep an eye and ear out for trouble while also keeping Donovan distracted if needed. After she finished, she said, "I'll be cloaked the whole time. If you need me, I'll be there to support you, Shepard."

Shepard and I closed in on the building. I tried to set a fast gait because the sun was starting to get to me sooner than I hoped. My skin was already dry as sandpaper by the time the security stopped us. I stepped into the statue of Saren's shadow for a bit of reprieve. Shepard took notice but made nothing of it.

"Mrs. Blood. I have heard a great many things about you and your business if they are to be believed. I also hear that you are recently married. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Shepard said. "We only made it official recently. Jason bagged me until I finally said yes."

"I have a similar story myself of how I met my new wife, Camilla. I will be introducing her to the party later this evening. Perhaps you two would care to discuss with us inside?"

"That would be perfect," I said. Donovan Hawk looked like he had only noticed me for the first time.

"Mr. Blood. I didn't see you there. I see the stories of your stealth are not exaggerated. Tell me though, how did you let yourself get shot so many times if you prefer to engage from afar?"

"I was worried about Jane. She's reckless and I could have easily seen her getting hurt trying to take on that bitch I killed. So, I decided to go in and take care of her on my own. I let myself get heated when she mentioned how she would kill the rest of our men, and I got careless. Lesson learned though."

"I agree," Donavan said and then told the security to let us inside. "Please, come inside, with my apology."

"Gladly," I said as I took Shepard's arm and escorted her up the stairs and through the front entrance. By the time we made it inside, I felt like I was about to light on fire.

"That was risky," Shepard said, "but good job. It worked."

"Thanks, Jane," I said, "I'll be over by the water fountain in the center of the hall. I'll let you know if anything happens."

I took the moment to rest on the fountain's rim. The concrete wasn't comfortable but it was still a place to sit. I absentmindedly touched the liquid's surface as I opened my mind to every sight, smell and vibration.

I could smell several different drugs, and alcohols. Some of them were even mixed together, no doubt to enhance the effects.

Shepard and Kasumi moved quickly. They had already found the vault downstairs and I could smell their scents leading to a balcony. They must have dropped down to inspect Donovan's private quarters.

"Mr. Blood," Donovan's voice caught me off guard. Why did it seem like every time I let myself ride my senses, someone sneaked up on me? What kind of a drawback is that?

"Hawk," I greeted him, "I love this fountain. The simplicity lends to its elegance."

"Thank you. Camilla had a hand in redesigning it recently," he said with a smile. "A happy wife means a happy life, am I right?"

"You most certainly are," I said and for some reason I found myself thinking about Kasumi. "I try my best to shoulder the hard work when an opportunity presents itself."

"I can respect that," Donovan said, "I wanted to ask you about your cover article in Badass Weekly."

I rolled my eyes and said with as much sarcasm as possible, "you mean my 'reward' for doing everything on my own?"

"I certainly wasn't expecting that response. You have my full attention now."

I found myself thinking of Kasumi again and what she said before I went to kill Jedore. I shook my head and said, "let's just say that right before I went out on my own to take care of the trash, I was specifically asked to be careful. 'Just because I can get shot and walk out fine, doesn't mean I should.' You get the idea. Well, I have a feeling that the article was my punishment for not listening."

"Between you and me, I think you did the right thing. But, if Camilla ever heard me say that though, she'd throw me off the terrace."

"Sounds like we have a lot in common," I said. A small sigh escaped my lips as I heard Shepard approaching. "Speaking of the wives, it seems like mine is coming this way. I'll make this quick." The familiar sensation of electricity in my eyes came as I whispered my secret plan into Donovan's ear. It seemed like my compulsion worked.

* * *

CAMILLA

* * *

Camilla dropped the corpse unceremoniously on the ground and used her husband's handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corners of her lips. Her red had a bright red stain on them, but it wasn't because of the copious amounts of lipstick that she often wore. It was because she dined on blood almost every day, and most often she didn't care to wipe the blood from her lips. She was very careful to keep her skin clean and healthy, however.

Once she finished wiping the blood from her lips, and after she applied a fresh layer of her favorite color of lipstick, maroon, she decided it was about time to head downstairs to the party. She had the servant nearby help her into her form complimenting dress, and by the time she finished, she looked like an English noble lady.

That was just a mask, however. Where a lady is kind, compassionate and pure, Camilla is cruel, wicked and tainted. There is an old adage about power and corruption, and her power had indeed corrupted her. She sometimes wondered if she loved her husband. He was a powerful man of like-mindedness to herself, and he wasn't unattractive. Maybe it was the fact that he had accepted her for what she is without her needing to charm him to do so. She had already decided to use him as a form of political marriage, but when he gave her his acceptance, she reevaluated her opinion of him. That didn't stop her from charming him so that he couldn't change his mind and betray her. She was far too careful to allow someone so close to being burdened by something as fickle as free will. Yes, even if she didn't love him, she still cared about him. He was her precious husband after all.

Camilla made it down to the foyer and passed the several closed doors of the enfilade until she reached the main hall, meant for receiving powerful and important guests. At the entrance to the main hall, she gracefully took notice of each and every guest. Only a few dozen legitimate businessmen and their dates. That's all this was after all. A gathering of wealthy legitimate businessmen.

Camilla's husband noticed her in a timely manner. She was proud of his continued excellence. He never once failed to shower her with affection and flattery. She may have charmed him once or twice into thinking that a happy wife means a happy life but that still left him room for interpretation. She could appreciate a semblance of free will, at least the minimum amount of freedom required for creativity to flourish.

Camilla descended the stairs and joined her husband so that he could formally introduce her to the party. He told the crowd the story of how the two of them had met. He made sure to avoid certain details, the kinds of details that she didn't want potential rivals to be aware of. The crowd of people before her wasn't yet under her charm after all.

Camilla wasn't blind to the way the crowd watched her, the men in particular. She had chosen just the right dress. It revealed just enough to get them to look at her, and it covered just enough to keep their eyes locked on her eyes during conversation. It would make charming them so much easier.

Camilla's husband finally stopped his romantic retelling of how they had first met, and he decided to let the party mingle. Camilla watched everything and everyone from her favorite wall. If she looked carefully enough she could find the cracks from where her fingernails had pressed against it.

It seemed like her husband had taken a liking to the newest mercenary group in the galaxy. It was run by a newlywed couple as well. Blood was a fitting name for a mercenary, and just the thought of it made her stomach flutter. Ms. Blood's hair was the most beautiful shade of ginger red hair. If Camilla wasn't proud of her own raven black hair, she might have felt a tinge of jealousy. Mr. Blood was ruggedly handsome, with a strong physique and a hint of a beard. The two of them were certainly an attractive pair. Perhaps they would be interested in joining the after party.

The couple was obviously attracted to each other. There were small signs of their affection, but they seemed to fumble about. They stole glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, and they blushed when their eyes met.

She was definitely inviting them to the after party. Camilla waited silently until her husband finished his business with the Bloods and then she confidently approached the handsome Mr. Blood.

* * *

JASON

* * *

Camilla covered her mouth as she laughed at Donovan's doting. I forced my eyes elsewhere, but I still heard it. Actually, it's what I didn't hear that was bothering me so much. Camilla didn't have a heartbeat and that had dire implications.

I noticed Camilla glance at me with a curious look and a slight pout on her lips, as if she was sad to see me ignoring her.

"Why are you looking away from me?" Camilla said. It felt like it was out of nowhere, but when I looked around, I realized that it was just us now. I must have tunnel visioned on her heartbeat, or whatever the equivalence was.

Camilla blanched when she saw the look in my eyes as I stared her down and said, "Don't play games with me, Camilla."

"I certainly don't know what you're talking about, but if you continue to show me such hostility I will have no choice but to have the guards escort you and your wife off of the premises," she said. I had noticed every detail about the way she spoke and the way she moved. She was a talented, experienced liar.

"Let's try this differently then," I said as I bared my teeth. "Do you actually love your precious husband or is he just under your compulsion?"

I didn't see Camilla's hand as it moved like lightning to grab my throat. She pulled me close so that it looked like nothing more than a private conversation. "So that's why you grabbed my attention. Listen here Mr. Blood, my husband actually loves me, and while I'm not entirely sure if I love him, I do know one thing."

"What would that be?"

"I don't need to resort to charming him to get him to do what I want. Admittedly, a suggestion here or there is helpful." Camilla pushed me back to conversational distance and gave me a wicked look.

"Unfortunately for me," I said with a bitter edge to my voice that made it drip with venom, "I'm not as skilled as you are when it comes to making your husband do what I want, without using compulsion."

Camilla's eyes flared with anger and she looked like she was ready to rip my head off. Luckily for me, Donovan Hawk called for the party's general attention. He waited until the crowd gathered into a large group and he said, "I have an announcement to make. I just finished sending everything I have on your criminal activities to the authorities on the Citadel, and all of your assets have been frozen. Congratulations, everyone."

The crowd's murmurs grew until one louder voice asked, "is this some kind of joke?"

Donovan bowed elegantly as he laughed and then he said, "it is far from a joke my friends. You won't be needing money where you're going."

The crowd began shouting and soon it looked like they were ready to murder him. Camilla moved to intervene but I had just enough time to snatch her wrist and redirect her motion into a nearby pillar. She hit the stone with an incredible amount of energy. I struggled to hold her for more than a moment, but that's all that was needed because someone in the crowd pulled out their pistol and shot Donovan in the head. The guards were slow to react, but they opened fire on the crowd. It was a massacre.

Camilla's cheek ran down the pillar as she dropped to her knees. Shrieking broken up by the occasional high pitch laugh, it sent chills down my spine.

The alarm went off throughout the whole building and the guards rushed downstairs, no doubt to try and kill Shepard and Kasumi. I was too distracted by the alarm and found that Camilla had broken free from my grip and was standing in front of me. Her hair seemed to move as her body tensed. She looked like she was on the edge of her sanity.

Her slap sent me flying into the pillar. I bounced off and landed on my feet only a foot and a half from where I was a moment ago. I could taste a nasty flavor of zinc in my mouth.

I spat. It seemed like Camilla was far stronger than I expected, and easily outclassed me in strength and probably speed too. I blinked and by the time I opened my eyes Camilla's fist was flying for my face. It impacted with an incredible force that sent me flying into a marble wall. The sickening sound of my bones breaking echoed across the hall. I could hardly keep track of the chaos, but it seemed like everyone was running for their lives.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Camilla screamed. Her eyes blazed with hatred. If I had a beating heart, I would have died right then and there.

"It was going to happen one w-"

Camilla's open palm slapped my head to the side and ripped some of the skin from my face. Her hand supported my limp head by my jaw and she brought my face as close to her own as was physically possible without us actually touching. She whispered through tight lips, "you killed my husband, Mr. Blood. He was the first one to accept what I am. He was mine!"

"He was a murderer, a th-"

Camilla's grip forced my mouth shut, threatening to crack my jaw entirely. The pain was unbearable, but my neck was finally starting to heal and soon enough I would be able to move again. Her laugh sent chills down my spine. "You came here to thieve from my household, and you murdered my husband. For that, I will make you suffer."

"Bite me, bitch!"

"Gladly," Camilla said. She pushed my head to the side, and the cracked stone bit into my cheek. She forced her teeth into my neck, and she wasn't gentle about it. She jerked her head around, broadening the wound.

Time seemed to halt as I was suddenly reminded of the memories that I had accidentally stolen from my first victim. I already knew what it was like to be fed on, but experiencing it for real was a whole different ballgame. It was far worse.

Camilla's breath knocked me from my nightmare and I realized that she had stopped feeding. She looked at me longingly and said, "you taste divine! Oh how, did you know..? No, of course, you wouldn't know."

"Know what?"

"This is my favorite wall. Would you like me to show you why?"

"No."

Camilla's eyes glowed an erotic pink and I could feel my resistance fade away. She asked again, "would you like me to show you why?"

I fought for what felt like an eternity before I finally gave in and said, "yes."

Camilla pressed her lips to mine, but no matter how hard she tried to get me to engage with her, I didn't. She pulled back with a pout and said, "kiss me when I kiss you."

Camilla's compulsion worked. Before I knew exactly what was happening, Camilla and I were kissing like a young couple in love. She nipped playfully at my lips and grabbed my hair firmly. I could feel the heat rising between us as a vile passion began to build.

She pulled away from me, tapped my nose playfully and said, "You're having fun."

"Fuck you."

"That's the plan. I'm going to pin your broken back against this wall and screw you until you beg for release. If you last long enough to make me orgasm, I'll even consider making you my replacement husband. After all, I need a strong and capable man to do all the dirty work."

I tried to bite her arm but she was too quick for me. I gasped as my head cracked the stone on impact and said, "you're a monster."

"Yes. I am," Camilla said before she pressed her lips to my ear and whispered, "you're a monster too."

"I'm nothing like you!"

Camilla laughed in my face and grabbed one of my elongated fangs as she said, "what are these things you have here? If you're nothing like me," Camilla paused to look at me as she ripped my fang from my mouth, "then you obviously won't need this."

My whole body cried out in pain, from the tips of my fingers and toes all the way to the depth of my bones. I couldn't feel anything but an impossible level of pain. If it wasn't for those unnaturally glowing eyes, I would have passed out.

"Did that hurt?"

"I'll make you pay for that, Camilla."

"Yes, I'm sure you will. Now I think it's about time I add another set of marks on the wall because it looks like you've destroyed the others with your cracking."

Everything seemed to move so slowly. One second felt like ten, and ten seconds felt like one second. I had my clothing ripped off and I was forced to my knees. It was degrading, what happened next.

"That wasn't half bad," Camilla said with no small amount of pride. "You surprised me when you started moving too. I thought you're back was snapped in two. Maybe you heal faster than I do, but you're definitely not as strong as I am."

I closed my eyes and tried to block out the sound as Camilla grabbed her dress off of the floor and then put it on over her head. She kneeled down next to me and force my eyes open. She frowned and said, "it looks like I broke you. Too bad."

My neck healed a long time ago, and so did the rest of my wounds, but she was right. She broke me in a way that I never imagined possible, and then she walked away.

* * *

SHEPARD & KASUMI

* * *

Shepard pulled the trigger and fired her rifle, sending a slug straight through the final guard's head. Straight to hell for that one, he didn't even see it coming.

Kasumi folded her new favorite gun into her hip, gave the all clear signal and said, "that's all of them Shep."

"I haven't heard anything from Jason," Shepard said and looked at Kasumi with grave eyes. Kasumi mirrored her at that moment. "He should have told us about the additional squads, and I thought I heard gunfire upstairs."

"It will be quicker if we head for the front door from here. Come on," Kasumi moved fast and tried to ignore the way her heart began to hurt at the thought of losing Jason. It was Keji all over again, and she wasn't ready for that.

The passed through the threshold of the building and walked straight into the aftermath of a bloody massacre. "Shit," Shepard said, "do you think Jason did this?"

"No," Kasumi said, "they were shot from behind and in front. It looks like the guards killed them as they tried to escape."

"That doesn't make any sense though," Shepard said, "unless this was all a trap?" Shepard pointed at the water fountain, "is that Donovan Hawk?"

"Yes. I guess whatever he had planned didn't go over so well with the guests," Kasumi said with an irritated look on her face. She noticed a slight movement out of the corner of her eye.

Kasumi's eyes widened in horror at the sight of Jason unconscious and barely covered by his ripped clothing, or what remained of it, and leaning against a nearly toppled stone.

Author's Notes: _That's a wrap for this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope to see you again at the next update._


	7. Chapter Seven: Will he live?

_Chapter Seven: How is he?_

Dr. Karin Chakwas spent almost an hour running a series of medical scans. Kasumi could tell that something was wrong and by the look on the doctor's face, it was something she had never seen before. Kasumi's eyes glanced in Shepard's direction. The Commander leaned against a wall, nervously biting her thumb. Shepard knew something was up too, and like the rest of them, she didn't know what to say.

Kasumi's eyes returned to Jason. It hurt to see him wounded and unconscious, and she couldn't get the image of when she had found him out of her head. They had turned him over after they noticed the pool of blood he was sitting in, and what she saw would haunt her for a long time. Jason's back was torn open like someone had tried to rip the skin off of him. It was just as gruesome as when she found Keji, after Hawk had ripped open his skull.

Shepard cleared her throat before she said, "Karin, I've seen that look before."

Chakwas gave Shepard a deadly glare and said, "Yes, you have been on the receiving end of my looks many times over the years."

Shepard nodded and said, "every time you did, it was because I messed up big time. What's the prognosis?"

Chakwas turned Jason on his side, exposing the bloodied bandages that covered his back as she said, "I counted at least ten avulsions while I was disinfecting and covering the wound. My scan shows that they're about an inch across, and they're an inch and a half deep, running from three inches long at the smallest and the longest wound is thirteen inches long. The wound pattern matches human fingernails, but if that was what actually happened, there would be DNA left behind. There isn't."

Chakwas rolled Jason back over and fluffed his pillow. She pointed at his neck and said, "I immediately recognized the wound on his neck. If you look at the scar tissue, you'll notice that there are two separate sets of punctures. Let's talk about the first set of punctures. If you look closely you'll notice that there are 32 individual marks, and the pattern matches human teeth. The second set of punctures are spaced out evenly, suggesting that it was an object that punctured his neck this time."

Chakwas gently opened Jason's mouth and pointed at the missing tooth as she said, "I didn't notice this during my initial examination, but the detailed scan showed that his right maxillary canine was recently and violently removed. His other teeth are intact, and I can order a synthetic replacement for him once we return to the citadel."

"So, he's going to live?" Shepard's question took the words right out Kasumi's mouth.

Chakwas shifted he stance just enough to make Kasumi worry. Chakwas said, "that's a difficult question to answer right now. If his body continues to do what it's doing right now, he should recover within the week."

"I get the sense that there's a but," Kasumi said.

"There is," Chakwas said with a terse nod, "Jason claimed that he was a Cerberus test subject when you first met him, correct?"

Kasumi blinked several times in surprise. She looked at Shepard, who nodded in affirmation at Chakwas. Why hadn't Jason told her about that?

Shepard gave Kasumi a sympathetic look and said, "could you give us the room? I'd like to keep this information private, at least until Jason wakes up. You can ask him yourself."

Kasumi wanted to protest, but she knew that Shepard was right. That didn't stop the hurt in her stomach. She left the room.

* * *

CAMILLA - 9 Days later.

* * *

Camilla pushed the busty redhead against the wall. The redhead moaned as Camilla's hands roamed across the redhead's body. Camilla's finger traced patterns from the woman's breast to her neck where she stopped at every woman's weakness, a soft and erogenous spot just begging to be kissed, just under the jaw. Red lips explored it before moving down, where perfectly white teeth moved to playfully nip at the redhead's collarbone.

The redhead nearly collapsed as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. It was too much for her to handle. If she knew a woman could offer her this kind of pleasure, she would have jumped ship a long time ago.

Camilla loved the way the redhead squirmed in pleasure, but what she loved more was the woman's ginger red hair. It reminded her of a certain woman that she had seen before at a party. The moment Camilla had seen this particular redhead, it was like a spell had been cast on her. Camilla returned the favor, making sure that the woman was thoroughly charmed before they left the bar. Camilla's fingers made circles through the woman's hair as she imagined all of the things that she was going to do to that hair once she finally found Ms. Blood.

Camilla shuttered at the sudden sound of breaking bone. She realized that while distracted by her vivid imagination, she accidentally broke the redhead's neck. Camilla's eyes noticed the way that the spine pressed against the woman's neck, almost piercing it from the inside out.

Camilla was slightly disturbed by the macabre image, but that wasn't going to stop her from feeding. Camilla held the dying woman's throat with one hand like one would do with an apple and she took a deep bite, causing a spray of blood to coat her face.

"Hel-" Camilla crushed the woman's jaw to stop her from making any more noise, she did so with an admiration for the amount of strength it must have taken to speak with a broken neck and half a body's worth of blood missing. Camilla couldn't see it, but she imagined the shine in the woman's eyes disappearing as she finally exsanguinated to death. She imagined what it would feel like to get her hands on the real object of her desire.

Camilla entered the bar through the back door, where she washed off in the restroom while she thought about Mr. Blood. She wondered if Mr. Blood survived, after all, she had been quite rough with him, especially when he made her orgasm. She could still remember with vivid clarity the way his flesh ripped into long confetti-like pieces as her fingernails ran across his back. Camilla was bound to find out eventually because her next target was a certain redhead.

Author's Notes: _That's a wrap for this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read it, and I hope to see you again at the next update._


End file.
